


are you a hero?

by chanshua, solboo



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Gen, Lee Chan | Dino-centric, Minor Injuries, Minor Original Character(s), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, lowkey bullying(?)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-26
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-18 07:46:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13095594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chanshua/pseuds/chanshua, https://archiveofourown.org/users/solboo/pseuds/solboo
Summary: Being quirkless isn't easy if you want to be a hero in this world but Chan won't let that stop him.He'll be a hero no matter what.





	1. never fear for i am here!

**Author's Note:**

  * For [solboo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/solboo/gifts).



> this bnha!svt au is both me and @solboo's baby, we made a lot of headcanons and i couldn't contain my love to myself anymore so here's this [jazz hands]
> 
> i really don't know where i'm taking this child though, at first i thought this will be just a drabble collection of me writing down our headcanons but lowkey i wanna actually write a story ??? but at the same time ??? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ ???
> 
> uhhhhhh if i have more to say, i'll edit the notes so [vague gestures]
> 
> also this is completely unbeta'd so have fun reading lol

_BEEP BEEP BE-_

 

The alarm is off. The small hand retracts back into the cocoon of blankets. A soft groan escapes from the bundle on the bed. Three minutes pass before the blankets are finally thrown off to the side. Chan slowly rises up, arms wrapped around his doll. He buries his face on the soft doll. With hesitance, the doll is let go and set back on the bed. Chan sits still for a moment before yawning loudly. He rubs his teary eyes and moves off the bed.

 

Shuffling across the bedroom, Chan grabs his uniform already laid out from last night from top of his desk. After retrieving the uniform, he heads to his door. Before he leaves, Chan pauses in front of the door. “Huh… I haven’t done it in a while… “ He mumbles to himself. Turning around, Chan walks to the biggest poster hanging in his room.

 

The poster was of the pro hero, S.Coups, a hero that Chan absolutely loves and admires with all of his heart. In fact, all of his room is just a big shrine to S.Coups, ranging from posters on the walls to actual figurines of the hero resting on his desk. There is some merchandise of other pro heroes in his room like Raina and Eunwoo. Eleven journals containing notes about quirks of pro heroes and villains were shelved in his bookcase next to the mangas and manhwas.

 

Chan faces the S.Coups poster and pumps his fist up like the pro hero would. “Never fear because Chan is here!” he echoes S.Coups’ iconic phrase. A moment passes and a grin crawls onto his lips. When he was little, he would always copy the hero’s moments where he was on the T.V. It’s not often that Chan indulges in it after elementary school but it really is a great motivator, makes Chan feel like S.Coups for a short moment. Hugging the school uniform close, Chan steps away and leaves his bedroom.

 

 

 

The morning light barely changed by the time Chan steps out from the bathroom. He goes to the kitchen. Chan grabs the apron from a hanger and slips it on. As he washes his hands, Chan leans back to look at the clock on the wall, **7:15 A.M.** With a nod, Chan dries his hands on his apron. He walks to the living room a room over and turns on the television, turning down the volume low enough. Despite trying to resist the urge, Chan’s attention is drawn to the television.

 

_“World’s Number one hero, S.Coups, saves a neighborhood once again from a rampaging villain!” The newscaster announces with loud voice._

 

Chan immediately gasps with excitement and kneels down on the carpet rug. He reaches over and quickly opens the drawer next to the television set. He pulls out his journal simply labeled _‘Quirks, Heroes and Villains’_ with an _‘#12’_ underneath. He moves back to his spot and quickly unclips the mechanical pencil from the cover. Chans looks back up, ready to write.

 

_“-ere is the footage from the earlier battle!” The newscaster is replaced with the new station’s camera footage._

 

_Many civilians are gasping at the wild spectacle happening down at the end of the city block. Multiple policemen hold the crowd of people back from getting too close. A blockade of cars and other police vehicles blocks further movement down the block. “There’s a villain on the loose here in Daegun Square. He seems to be targeting the Residential District!” A newscaster reports. “Multiple witnesses reported that the villain seems to be a criminal who robbed the 7-11 four blocks away but once he was confronted, the man turned immediately aggressive and now is on a rampage!” The newscaster turns back around to watch the spectacle as well._

 

With a quick hand, Chan scribbles notes down.

 

_The camera zooms in on a tall humanoid rhinoceros man who’s holding a stop sign with one hand. He looks around and spots the crowd, staring straight at the camera and roars._

 

He draws a fast sketch of the villain. “Gotta be mutant…,” Chan mumbles to himself.

 

_Multiple people scream in terror, some of them already running away. “RUN, GO MOVE IT!” One of the policemen yells at the crowd. Other policemen start to push the civilians as multiple screams ring in the air. The camera stays pointed at the villain while the newscaster leads them away._

 

_The rhinoceros man throws the sign on the floor and grabs street light. With ease, he rips it from the ground with a roar. He aims then throws straight at the camera with an enraged roar. Multiple screams echo while others cuss in fear. Then sudd-_

 

_A flicker of black appears._

 

_Within a second, the street light is stopped by someone. Someone with silver hair and a leather jacket with the name ‘S.Coups’ simply sewn into the back in silver letters._

 

Chan gasps in absolute delight.

 

_“Never fear because S.Coups is here!” S.Coups shouts. He turns his head back and the camera zooms in. S.Coups slowly grins then with a fingerless-gloved hand, he throws a cool two-finger salute at the camera._

 

With a loud squeal, Chan seal-claps.

 

 _Many other people gasp in the crowd while others start to cheer for S.Coups. S.Coups turns back around with a laugh. He gently sets down the street light on the ground,_ which Chan finds almost comical in that simple action.

 

_“Do you know what you just did?” He questions. He starts to walk towards the criminal who cowers as S.Coups draws near. “Robbing a store and now this? What a mess….”_

 

_The rhinoceros man just takes a step back every step S.Coups takes forward. Suddenly his demeanor changes like a flick of a switch and the man shifts into an aggressive stance._

 

_A loud roar of “FUCK YOU,” is his answer. The mutant begins to hunch over, his upper body lowering to the ground and legs tensing up._

 

_S.Coups responds with a sigh, “Please don’t scream so much, you’re disturbing the city….“_

 

_Rhinoceros man barks out a laugh, “more like you’re disturbing me, bastard.” His body stops moving as he finally positions himself. The mutant immediately takes off and charges straight at the hero._

Chan notes how the criminal attacks, “so many openings….”

 

 _S.Coups shifts in spot, just barely noticeable_ but Chan notices with a sharp eye.

 

“Oh oh oh! He’s gonna do the air wave!” Chan observes, his voice turning high pitched with excitement.

 

_S.Coups holds up his arm, pointing it at the charging criminal. With a simple flick, a huge gust of wind ripples from S.Coups’ hand. The wind flies at the rhinoceros man who barely reacts in time and slams him hard. The man goes flying back, past the spot he originally was at. Before he collides into a building, S.Coups appears—a quick flicker—and grabs onto the rhinoceros man’s belt. Momentum carrying the rhinoceros man causes him to swing in his grasp. After a couple of moments, the mutant man stills and hangs limply in S.Coups’ grasp._

 

_The crowd goes wild, people shouting and cheering, even the policemen join in. The newscaster comes back into view with a big grin. “Number one hero, S.Coups, came and saved the day! What an absolute surprise!” The footage cuts back to the original newscaster from earlier._

 

Chan lets out an amazed sigh and drops back on the floor with an ‘oomph.’ He holds his arms straight up above him and squeezes the journal in his hands. Chan shuts the book close then hugs it to his chest. S.Coups’ shining grin pops back in his thoughts.

 

“I’ll have to update my blog later today….“

 

He sits back up. The journal is placed back into its earlier position along with the pencil. The television’s volume gets lowered to almost background noise level. Chan walks, almost skipping, back into the kitchen.

 

The news of his absolute favorite idol ever refreshed Chan and now he’s ready to cook a great breakfast. He stops in front of the silver refrigerator. “This is for you!” Chan says with clenched fists towards the S.Coups poster hanging on the refrigerator. With a nod and declaration of “I love you!” He turns towards the oven with determination in his veins.    

 

 

 

Chan knocks on his mother’s door then slowly opens the door. He treads lightly towards the occupied bed then sits on the bed next to his mother’s form.

 

“Mom, wake up, I made breakfast,” Chan says quietly. He pats her on the arm. “C’mon, Mom.”

 

“Hmmmmmm… “ Kaeun hums. With a couple of pats, she turns over to face Chan. ”Channie…,“ she mumbles with still-closed eyes. Chan waits patiently as she gathers some energy. A moment passes and Kaeun rises from bed, the blanket falling on her lap. “Hmmm, thank you sweetie,” she says as she hugs Chan. Chan returns the hug, patting her on the back.

 

“Let’s eat together,” Chan says. Kaeun nods in agreement and releases her hold. He gets up from from the bed, turning around and holding out his hand. She takes his hand and gets up with help from Chan. After Kaeun stabilizes on her feet, she lets go of Chan, petting him on the head as she moves ahead.

 

 

 

“Wow, such a great cook! You’re doing so well!” Kaeun complimented with a wide smile. Chan feels a growing smile on his face. “My baby takes after his darling mother!”

“Mom… “ Chan says with exasperation. She reaches over and pinches his cheek. “Mom!” Chan whines louder.

 

With a laugh, she retracts her hand. Kaeun takes a bite out of the sausage on her plate with a bright grin. Chan rolls his eyes then laughs at his mother’s antics.

 

 

 

“Bye, I’ll be going now Mom,” Chan calls over his shoulder as he slips on his shoes.

 

“Alri-Oh, Channie, you forgot your phone,” she says. Chan looks up, quickly patting himself and realizes that he did forget his phone. He turns around and almost moves forward but stops himself because Chan’s not walking around the house with shoes on.

 

Kaeun gestures in a beckoning motion at the phone lying on the living room’s couch. The phone levitates up and floats toward her, landing in her hand as she moves towards Chan.

 

“Don’t forget your phone and be safe!” Kaeun hands over the phone and ruffles Chan’s head with her other hand. Chan nods, pocketing his phone. He turns around, exiting the house after a final goodbye to his mother.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

The bicycle lock is placed inside the basket alongside his bag. Chan hops onto the seat. He maneuvers the bicycle around to face the road. Chan starts to pedal down the sidewalk and turns to his right once he reaches the end of the front lawn.

 

The sounds of distant cars and voices reaches his ears, a reminder of life outside of his home. He rides to the end of the neighborhood street, passing multiple people and some schoolmates. As the boy rides to school, he hums a song underneath his breath.

 

After passing a level crossing and two bridges, the school is in view. Many students are filtering inside the school gates. Students part way for him as Chan rides into school grounds. He automatically rides straight to the bicycle racks sitting under the green terrace roof.

 

He makes his way over to the bicycle racks, no longer humming. The other students at the racks look up from their activities and at Chan. Some of them stare at him from the corners of their eyes while some openly glare at him. Chan simply keeps his head down. He scrunches his body up, trying not to accidentally touch the others.

       

Luck is not on his side, Chan brushes past someone on accident.

 

They push Chan’s shoulder angrily. “Watch it, quirkless! Don’t touch me!” They warn loudly. Their two other friends nod from behind, interjecting with their own comments about Chan.

 

“I’m sorry… ” comes the timid apology.

 

“Better be, now shoo, go away,” One of the friends speaks up from behind. They motion at Chan to leave which he immediately complied with.

 

After that incident, the other students watching begin to whisper more within their little circles. Chan can never get used the shame that crawls under his skin. He moves to the ‘F-Rack’ in the back. Kneeling down, he grabs the bicycle locks from his basket. The locks are secured on with quick movements. Hopefully today, no one’ll mess with his bicycle and just leave it alone.

 

 

 

The door slides open and Chan steps inside the classroom. Classmates are hanging out, talking to each other or doing other things. He goes to the back row where his seat is. A noticeable difference compared to the others as every seat around it is moved further away, creating distance around Chan’s seat. As Chan nears the seat, he notices the writing on the desk.

 

‘ _Quirkless’ ‘Freak’ ‘Don’t talk to Us!’ ‘You’ll never be a hero!’ and etc._

 

Someone had written on his desk again but except instead of a pencil like yesterday, it’s a red marker. With a soft sigh, Chan pulls out a tissue from his bag. He wipes down the scribbles on his desk. Before the writings could be cleaned up, the homeroom teacher comes into class the exact time the school bell rings.

 

“Alright class, get to your seats, homeroom is starting!” She calls out to the class. Classmates move from their conversations and settle down into their seats. Chan is forced to stop his cleaning, he knows she’ll call him out for not listening during class so the tissue is set aside.

After rolecall is taken, she tells the class to pull out their textbooks. Chan takes his textbook out then sets it on his desk with a grimace.

 

 

Something inside of him tells him that it’ll be a long day today.

 

 

Chan turns to the classroom’s windows. A flock of birds are currently flying across the sky, their oh-so faint calls barely reaching Chan’s ears.  He keeps watching until the flock fly from viewing distance, until the clouds are the only thing in the sky.

 

 

 

Lunch time comes. When the clock turns to the official period, the class immediately moves. The teacher just sighs at the loud commotion. Chan takes advantage of the noise by grabbing his bag and leaving the classroom.

 

Multiple classroom doors slide open and some of the students starts to filter out into the hallway. Making sure to keep himself to himself, Chan sticks to the wall as his classmates pass by him. He reaches the staircase at the end of the hall and descends two levels.

 

The vending machines are open, no one’s using them. Chan quickly scurries over to the machines, his stomach now growling once the sight of food is in view. While he walks over, Chan takes out the lunch money his mother gave him from out of his bag.

 

Stopping in front of the machines, Chan hums lightly considering what options he should choose. Chan reaches out to buy a sandwich only to be interrupted.

 

“Hey shortstack!”

 

Please no, the food is so close, it’s right fucking th-

 

“Whatcha doin’ there?”

 

Chan pulls his hand back from the machine and holds his hand close in a protective manner. “I was just buying some food…” he answers as normally as he can. Chan turns his body halfway towards the approaching classmate.

 

“You know, i’m pretty hungry Lee but I didn’t bring any food today so I was just wondering…,“ she trails off.

 

Chan really doesn’t want to start anything today so with hesitance, he holds out the money.

 

“Haha, thanks, you’re the best!” The girl took the money with a smile. As she walks up to the vending machine, she reaches out. Chan flinches away when she reaches out, before she could  touch him, Chan leaves. The girl’s laughter echoes behind him.

 

 

 

The class day is finally over.

 

All of the class had already left already leaving Chan the only student in class.

 

“I’ll be in the staffroom so don’t worry about locking the class,” The teacher calls from the open doorway. Chan nods as his answer and the teacher leaves.

 

The classroom is empty now. Chan gets up from his and stretches. After cracking his neck, Chan goes over to the window next to him and unlocks it. The window pane rises and the breeze enters the classroom. Chan pauses there for a moment, enjoying the wind flowing in.

 

His mood suddenly sours when he remembers that the girl took his lunch money, leaving him nothing to eat. “Ugh… today’s not my day… ” Chan mumbles to himself with his head hanging down.

 

Chan moves from the window and goes back to his seat. When he takes his journal out, his mood immediately lightens at the mere sight of it.

 

Chan flips through the pages; notes and drawings filled every page to the brim. The well worn journal fit into the shape of his hands, a familiar comfort for Chan. He stops when he reaches the notes about the rhinoceros man from earlier. The quick sketch of the rhinoceros mutant is sloppy, it needs to be fixed. Chan reaches over to his bag for his ph-

 

A hand plucks the journal from the desk and tosses it outside the window with no effort.

 

Chan lets out an immediate yelp, unable to force the surprise down. He turns towards the window after giving a quick glance to the perpetrators. It was three of his classmates, the ones who were especially spiteful towards Chan compared to the others. Chan shoots up from his seat causing his chair to hit the floor with a loud **_clang_ **. In his haste to the window, Chan suddenly trips and falls onto the tiled floor. Joining him there is the contents of his bag, a cacophony of falling school items dropping around Chan.

 

“Haha, fucking quirkless idiot, can’t even walk right,” A classmate says with mirth. The others agree with growing laughter. The one with the bag throws it on Chan and the other two cackle louder. Chan hisses from the pain but pushes past it. He scrambles up from the floor, ignoring his classmates’ mocking laughter. He bolts to the window, throwing the upper half of his body over the window frame.

There was his journal, multiple pages full of his writing and drawings scattered over the pond’s surface. The book lying peacefully on the water, half submerged. Some pages managed to miss their underwater grave as they sat on the edges of the pond.

Chan blinks. He pulls his body back, his dangling feet now on the tiled floor once again. The wind no longer feels nice, it only serves to bring a chill to his skin. A numb sensation crawls up Chan’s body from his fingertips to his brain.

 

A hand grabs his elbow and forcefully turns him around.

 

The trio stared at him with smug smiles. The hand on him doesn’t release. It only increases in force, his classmate’s hand now squeezing tightly. Chan resists the urge to gasp in pain as the classmate dug in their fingers, it doesn’t help that his elbow still hurts from the fall earlier.

 

“Hey, freak, we don’t like it when you write about us in your little diary so we took matters into our own hands,” the hand shakes his arm, “and tossed the damn book out.”

 

Chan keeps his eyes solely on their feet, tracing over the details of their well worn shoes.

 

The one on the leader’s right speaks up, (wasn’t he Youngjin?) “Fucker still keeps doing it, can’t get enough of us really.”

 

“Forget your little dreams about being a hero, ya quirkless shithead,” the other lackey, (maybe this one was Youngjin?) says. “People like you should remember their place and it’s underneath people,” his scaled tail slithers up Chan’s free arm “like us,” he punctuates with a tight squeeze.  

 

“Hah, exactly,” The ringleader said with a smirk. The trio cackle heartily like they experienced a funny joke. The lackey with the tail releases his grip. The ringleader gives a final, painful squeeze and shoves Chan away.

 

“Ya lucky that we’re too tired today,” The left lackey says as the trio began to depart.

 

Chan stood in place, waiting until they left the classroom and were far enough he couldn’t hear them. Sinking to the floor with a pained gasp. Chan reaches over to the bag and pulls it near himself. With the bag close, he cleans up his things by placing them back into the bag. Chan checks if his phone is fine and breathes a sigh of relief after confirming it’s fine, After everything’s back in the bag, he stands back up with the bag on his shoulders. Once again pushing past the pain, Chan speed walks out of the classroom

 

 

 

The entrance doors open and a loud **_slam_** rings outside, disturbing the birds resting nearby in the trees. Chan speeds down the small flight of stairs. He breaks out into a run to the school’s pond, his feet carrying him around the back of the current building.

 

Slowing to a stop, Chan stares at the mess in front of him. The journal stares back, its soaked cover sitting quietly. Chan can’t handle it. He looks away, his breath shaking and the urge to just-just sob building up. Chan’s legs seem to buckle and he drops to the dirt onto his shins.

 

Chan curls up, hugging his bag close with watering eyes.

 

 

 

He gingerly scoops the book from the water. The water drips onto his hands, soaking him. Chan takes off the school blazer and gently wraps the journal with it. He wipes off his hands using his pants.  After looking around, it appears that there’s no more scattered pages to collect. Chan heads back to his bag where the flyaway pages were kept safely. Kneeling down again, he rewraps the journal so it can be smaller. The blazer-wrapped journal is carefully placed inside of the bag.

 

Chan goes back to the bicycle racks, his legs slow and the fading sensation of dancing pins in them. “Oooh no, please don’t let my bicycle be fucked up too…,” Chan hopes, scrunching up his face as he can feel himself tear up again.

 

With nervousness building up in his chest, Chan shuffles toward the ‘F-Rack.

 

The bicycle isn’t there. It’s missing. Chan hopes desperately that it’s just invisible so he reaches out slowly, scared to find out the truth. With a wave, the only thing felt was wind. A grimace envelopes Chan’s face.

 

“Today fucking sucks.”

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

Despite the current predicaments, the sky’s pretty so that’s a plus. The setting sun casted gorgeous colors across the sky almost seeming like the sky was on fire. Chan smiles half heartedly as he makes his slow journey back home. At least he reached the first bridge so that’s like a third of the way there.

 

As Chan steps onto the bridge, a **_splash_ ** happens in the river below. However it’s just a splash so he keeps walking. Halfway across the bridge, a louder **_splash_ ** sounds out again. Deciding to check, Chan looks over the bridge’s handrails. There’s nothing there, probably just a fish so Chan turns ba-

  

A chain shoots out from the river and wraps itself around Chan’s ankle.

 

“Wh-?” is the only thing that comes out before Chan is suddenly lifted up by the ankle.

 

Everything turns upside down and Chan feels dizzy immediately. Due to disorientation, Chan lets the bag go and it splashes into the river.

 

He lets out a weak “No!”, his flailing arms gesturing at the missing bag futilely. The chain simply shakes him and Chan has to squeeze his eyes shut. He wants to scream, shout for help but he’s so tired-there’s no more energy left in his bones. So he just swings at the mercy of the mysterious river chain. The blood rushing to his head leave Chan with no thoughts, nausea and fear the only thing in Chan’s body.

 

Chan expects to dropped into a river or something like that but he doesn’t expect to hear a huge **_splash_ ** , a short aborted scream and someone who’s warm to hold him. Warm arms (leather?) wrap around him, the chain lets go of his ankle. Chan no longer feels like he’s swinging in midair.

 

 

“Hey kid… you alright?”

 

 

Chan’s eyes open wide in two nanoseconds.

 

 

S.Coups’ face stares back at him in gentle concern.

 

 

Chan bursts into tears for the second time that day. A waterfall of salty tears stream down his face.

 

 

S.Coups looks even more concerned and asks even more softly, “Are you hurt?” Chan just cries harder.

 

 

Chan literally doesn’t know what to do with himself. His brain is overloading with information. His heart is doing ten million flips in the span of seconds and his body is now acting up with everything that just happened to him. He doesn’t know what to do, he’s freaking out, the world is blacking out, S.Coups is gently shaking him and talking to him but everything’s muffled, the exhaustion is hitting him full forc-

 

 

 

Chan passes out in S.Coups’ arms.   

 


	2. surprise, surprise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i hope u like the chan + cheol interactions
> 
> this took me a whole day and half to finish lol
> 
> (unbeta'd)

The world came back in a slow fashion. A faraway voice that grew in volume and a warm hand gently combing through his hair. With a soft groan, Chan wiggles in his spot. The hand stills on his head, making Chan whine quietly. Once he does, the hand resumes its administrations.

 

He knows he should wake up but it’s really nice like this. However the logical side of him says to wake up and so Chan finally opens his eyes. Blinking away the blurriness, the darkening sky is the first thing he sees. Compared to the firelit sky from before, the flames have lessen to dark purple embers. Chan stares blankly at the sky as he tries to reconnect back into existence.

 

It’s currently after school and he was crossing a bridge… a weird chain from the river just grabbed his ankle and… his bag was dropped into the river the-then something….

  


“Hey kiddo.”

  


Wait wh—oh…? Oh, OH, OH WHAT

 

Chan shoots up from his position but gets hit with force of nausea within seconds. With the hit of nausea comes with it is regret, shame and embarrassment. Earlier memories knocks on Chan’s brain and he begins to feel extremely hot under the collar.

 

“Hey, hey, hey, don’t freak out, calm down, okay?” S.Coups instructs with a soft voice. Chan shyly peers up from his hands to S.Coups’ small smile. Okay, he might be a little bit emotional than usual today because it looks like the waterworks show is about to come again.

 

S.Coups seems to sense the incoming batch of tears by taking off the red bandana tied around his neck. He hands the bandana over, “Here, you can use this.”

 

“A-are you sure?” Chan asks, his voice croaking with tears and overall exhaustion.

 

S.Coups nods, “yep, don’t worry about it!” When Chan doesn’t move, S.Coups smiles encouragingly at him with a nod at the bandana. Chan looks away and hides his face with the bandana, warmth now blooming on his cheeks. The pro hero seems to not mind how he reacted earlier, even now but Chan can’t help the embarrassment flowing through him.

 

While Chan wipes his tears away, S.Coups starts, “I checked for any obvious injuries on your body while you were unconscious but I didn’t check anywhere that wasn’t covered and it’s your body so I’ll like to know if you feel pain anywhere?”

 

After drying his eyes, Chan puts down the bandana on his lap. He coughs, clearing his throat. “Um, I don’t think I feel anything right now?” He mumbles awkwardly.

 

S.Coups nods. “Try to move your body then, start from your head then end at your toes.” The pro hero moves around to Chan’s front, kneeling down. Chan rolls up his sleeves.

 

Chan follows his instructions obediently, letting S.Coups guide him through the process. As he goes through the pro hero’s medical check up, Chan looks around at their surroundings.

 

The day is turning into the evening phase, shadows beginning to enlarge from alleyways and buildings. Dali Bridge was in view, street lights are flickering on around it. Chan turns to observe where S.Coups took them. They were sitting underneath a low overpass, the shadows hiding them very well from the view of anyone. Chan feels the ground under him only to feel… leather? He looks down, surprised to see he was sitting on S.Coups’ jacket.

 

“Ah!” S.coups looks up from prodding Chan’s upper arm, startled by the sudden jarring noise. “I’m sitting on your jacket….”

 

“Well, of course you are. I’m not letting you lay on the ground just like that,” S.Coups says nonchalantly as he goes back to Chan’s arm. “Don’t worry about it.”

 

Chan is about to check again with the pro hero, only to stop himself. He feels like he’s annoying his idol so he keeps it in.

 

“By the way, this didn’t come from the river incident earlier,” S.Coups observes.

 

Chan looks up from his lap, “huh?”

 

S.Coups slides his hand down to Chan’s forearm and gently turns his arm. Two purple bruises (Chan faintly notes to himself that it looks like the evening sky,) covers parts of his elbow and forearm. Chan frowns at the sight. It really was a nasty fall earlier. S.Coups grabs his other arm and turns it over. Similar bruises decorates his lower arm.

 

"These marks here too," he points to Chan’s elbow. The elbow that got grabbed by the ringleader earlier, fingernail marks are still present on his skin. Deep crecsents mark the pink skin.      

     

S.Coups looks up at Chan’s eyes, his hands still holding onto Chan’s arms and patiently waiting for his answer. Chan starts to be nervous again. Thoughts are running through his head and Chan doesn’t know what to say as he stares back into S.Coups’ blue eyes. The pro hero keeps staring at him with an indescribable look in his eyes. The wind starts to move, the evening air now turning colder and causing Chan to shiver. The breeze blows S.Coups’ styled silver hair, some loose hair strands moving in the wind. S.Coups’ stare doesn’t waver.

 

“I tripped really hard earlier at school…” Chan answers timidly as his blush comes back.

 

S.Coups keeps his stare on him, not reacting to his answer. Chan begins to develop the ghosting of goosebumps, whether it’s from S.Coups’ stare or from the wind, he’s not too sure. After a beat passes, S.Coups nods and finally looks away from him. Chan internally lets out the bated breath he’s been holding in.

 

"Alright we’ll check your legs then," He asks, letting go of Chan’s arms. S.Coups shifts his body so he faces Chan’s legs. “Can you pull your pant legs up?”

 

Chan nods. He grabs and pulls up his left leg then the right one. After the cloth is bundled around Chan’s thighs, S.Coups lets out a small ‘ **_tut_ ** ’ when he sees the sight of his legs. The fall earlier really left a number on his knees, pink skin surrounding a fist-sized purple bruise on both of them. His ankle was also not fine, the flesh seeming to be swollen and marks from the chain still fresh on his skin.

 

“Do you mind if I touch your legs?” S.Coups asks for permission, hands hovering. Chan shakes his head then moves up his legs, hugging his thighs close.

 

The pro hero reaches out and presses on the bruise, sparing glances at Chan. The pressure increases when Chan doesn’t react until Chan’s face scrunches in pain and the boy’s leg twitches. S.Coups then does the same thing to his other leg, stopping when Chan flinches from the pain.

 

S.Coups moves back and stands up from his kneeling, “Okay, try to stand for me.” Suddenly Chan is reminded of how tall the pro hero is, the man standing at a full 6’5” covered by shadows which is very intimidating.  S.Coups holds out his hand for the boy. Chan has to momentarily reorient himself from the sudden realization that _The_ S.Coups is reaching out to him.  

 

He reaches out and grabs hold. Chan shifts in position and starts to rise. As he rises, a sudden sharp pain spikes in his leg and Chan lets out a pained gasp. Chan falls back onto ground, hands instinctively clutching at his ankle. S.Coups kneels back down to Chan’s level, hands reaching out to touch his ankle.

 

S.Coups mumbles, “Yeah, you’re not doing so hot. You can’t walk right now. Looks like I’ll just have to carry you then.”

 

Once the pain fades, Chan looks up nervously. “Ah, no, you don’t have to carry me. I’m fine,” Chan blatantly lies to the pro hero.

 

“Then stand for me, kid.”

 

Chan begins to move again and S.Coups places a hand on his head, pausing his movements “Stop, don’t actually try again.” With a sigh, S.Coups reassures the other, “Look kid, don’t be embarrassed about it. You’re injured and I don’t want you to walk on that ankle of yours. I also don’t have any medical supplies to treat you with so—”

“Wait!”

 

S.Coups raises an eyebrow.

 

Chan slides his pant legs back down, “my school bag got dropped into the river and I really can’t lose it….”

 

“Oh, I have it,” S.Coups somehow manages to produce his bag from… somewhere, Chan’s not too sure. Chan reaches out to grab the bag, grimacing at the damp sensation. He hauls the bag over to his side and checks the contents. Everything’s wet now from the pencils to the waterlogged phone. The school blazer is now entirely wet, the fabric soaked to the threads. Moving the blazer around, his beloved quirk journal is revealed and unsurprisingly the papers are so weak, Chan accidentally tears a corner off of a page. Chan’s heart drops to his feet, mood now darkening again just like the evening. He removes his hand from the bag and zips it up. “Sorry kid, I couldn’t save your bag…” S.Coups apologizes.

 

“Ah no, it’s okay… you saved me and I’m… really happy about that,” Chan says with admiration and gratefulness seeping in his tone. It’s completely true, despite his bag getting soaked, S.Coups saved him! The pro hero saw him, saved him from a villain and is talking to him! Despite the rough school day, S.Coups made his day and probably the rest of his life infinitely better! Elation comes and hits Chan full force, his face now uncontrollably grinning.

 

S.Coups blinks in surprise then he returns a charming smile back. “I’ll try to make it up for you for the bag.”

 

Chan starts to gush with excitement, “Oh, you already did! You saved me and now you’re talking to me! I’m so sad that I didn’t see you in action, that’s my biggest regret right now. But like, it’s totally okay! I finally get to see and talk to you face-to-face and even though it’s not under the most desirable circumstances, I’ll still take it. Honestly I didn’t expect you to be this kind, well, not like you’re not-not kind because obviously, you’re the world’s number one hero but you’re so nice! That check up was rea—” Chan suddenly stops in the middle of his ramble.  He realizes that he just straight up fanboyed uncontrollably in front of his most beloved idol.

 

Ooooooooh noooo, Chan’s just digging his coffin deeper and deeper. He cried in front of S.Coups multiple times and just barfed a bunch of compliments and stuff onto him. Oooo-

 

S.Coups begins to laugh and turns to cover his mouth. Chan turns red as a ripe tomato.

 

“Ooooh my god, I didn’t—that was completely—I’m so sorry. I just started to gush about you right in front of you and that’s probably weird, oh my god, please don’t think I’m a creepy weirdo. I just really love you a lot—wait no, that sounds really strange, I mean that i just lik—”

 

The pro hero’s hand lands on top of his head and he ruffles Chan’s hair. “No-no-no, I’m completely floored by how much you like me. I’m very happy to hear such kind words from you and I don’t think you’re a creepy weirdo.” Chan breathes a sigh of immense relief. “You’re very adorable, kid.”

 

The heat of a thousand suns descends upon Chan because did S.Coups really just call him adorable??? Chan’s pretty sure he’s ascending to another realm of existence.

 

“I’m… adorable?” He asks with a tiny voice.

 

S.Coups laughs again and nods, ruffling Chan’s hair again. “Yep, incredibly adorable.”

 

Chan grabs the damp bag and smushes it against his incredibly warm face with a muffled ‘ _thank you.’_

 

 

 

S.Coups shifts his arm so it’s more comfortable to hold Chan. The pro hero is currently being guided back to Chan’s home but since he doesn’t want to disturb the boy’s condition, he’s walking there. The air was getting colder by the second so S.Coups cleaned off the dirt and gave his jacket to Chan so he can wear it from the evening’s lowering temperatures. Chan also freaked out when S.Coups suddenly lifted him up but S.Coups just smiled at him and started walking, asking Chan to direct him back home to his house. Now Chan’s shyly resting in S.Coups’ arm, wearing his signature jacket while the hero’s other arm holds Chan’s school bag.

 

After Chan tells him a direction, S.Coups suddenly perks up. Chan looks at him curiously. “Oh, I never got your name, what’s your name?” S.Coups asks. Oh, Chan never did give him his name.

 

“My name is Lee Chan,” he answers, turning to look ahead of them again.

 

“So Chan, how old are you?”

 

“Fifteen,”  Chan points at bridge that came into view, “Oh, there’s the other bridge.”

 

“What school do you go to?”

 

“Um, Seong-su Junior High.” Chan answers. A breeze suddenly starts up, rustling the duo. Chan subconsciously cuddles closer to S.Coups, his arms wrapping tighter around the pro hero’s neck. S.Coups smiles silently to himself.

 

S.Coups walks on the bridge, the faint noises of the river passing by. Street lights fully illuminate the bridge, a beacon of bright lights compared to not-yet lit areas surrounding it. Chan listens to the slowly moving water, the gentle sloshing of waves. When S.Coups reaches the end of the bridge, a jarring loud splash disrupts the quiet waters. Chan startles in S.Coups’ arm which causes the hero to stumble a little. After regaining his footing a second later, S.Coups stares at Chan with some curiosity.

 

“S-sorry… I just freaked out,” S.Coups makes a face of understanding, “... What happened earlier?” He asks.

 

“Well, it was the work of two miscreants.” S.Coups explains while he shifts his grip on Chan, holding him closer. “One of them had a quirk that allows them to create air pockets and the other’s quirk was chains that substituted as hair.”

 

“Really…” Chan muttered as he thoughts about their quirks.

 

“They were waiting to rob someone who ever came by and unfortunately you were their victim but I got to them first.”

 

Chan turns to S.Coups, “where are they now?”

 

“I dropped them off at the local police station in this town.”

 

Chan thinks back to the incident. There was a splash… then someone screamed… then S.Coups held me…. He certainly didn’t hit the ground nor water…. Wait, so does that mean?

 

S.Coups looks up at the boy, his face scrunched up in thought. Chan speaks up a moment later, “did you catch them before you got me?”

 

He nods. Chan suddenly gasps in amazement, wonder lights up his eyes. S.Coups raises an eyebrow at the reaction.

 

“Whoa! You’re really that fast? I was too messed up to really notice at the time but I didn’t feel like I was falling and I didn’t fall on the ground or the water and I felt you within moments after someone screamed.”

 

S.Coup stares at him blankly until realization clicks in his eyes. “Oh… hahaha, yeah, I guess I’m really that fast.”

 

Chan suddenly leans forward and hugs S.Coups, Chan rubbing his cheek on S.Coups’ hair. “You’re so cool! Wow, you’re super fast just like Swift!” S.Coups smiles at mention of the other pro hero. “You’re so confident in your abilities that instead of grabbing me first, you went for the villain first. Usually that would be a stupid thing to do in combat—” S.Coups purses his lips in embarrassment and shame, he didn’t actually mean to do that and it could’ve ended poorly for young Chan but he didn’t need to know that, “—but you’re the world’s number one hero! You didn’t even break a sweat!”

 

S.Coups lets out a breathless laugh, “Kiddo, you really know how to inflate a hero’s ego….”

 

“Well, I’m not wrong, you’re always saving people from harm and helping out others. You inspire so many people out there like me. You’re the unofficial symbol of peace for the world, i think you deserve to have your ego inflated, or whatever.” Chan pulls back and beams at S.Coups. Previous timidness gone and now replaced with bold admiration.

 

S.Coups stares at the glowing boy and the utmost sincerity pouring from the kid in waves. Despite meeting many, many people who were also like Chan, for some reason the kid… just  resonates differently than the rest. He barely knows Chan yet something about Chan pulls him within the kid’s orbit. The pull’s extremely weak and faint but it’s noticeable. The pro hero turns away with a flustered smile, causing Chan to giggle at his reaction. He squeezes Chan gently, returning the earlier hug and for gratitude.

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

“That’s my house,” Chan chirps. The duo were now outside Chan’s home, the sun already long gone and the night’s cover replacing it. Despite the curtains covering the windows, lights from the kitchen and living room glowed bright.

 

S.Coups begins walking forward, “do you usually stay out around this time?”

 

“I’m rarely out when it’s dark, I come back home before the sunset. Though I don’t have much reason to stay out even when it’s light out too so….”  

 

“So your mother’s gonna be upset right?”

 

“Hmmm, probably.”

 

S.Coups flashes a cheeky smile at Chan as they walk up the front porch steps, “Well, don’t worry kiddo because you have a perfectly credible alibi and you’re looking right at him.”

 

A beat passes and Chan laughs out a, “thank you.”

  


S.Coups knocks on the door.

 

The door swings open two seconds later and Kaeun appears from the doorway, “Chann—EH?” Her face turns white as a sheet and her hands retract to her chest in surprise. “S-S—” Before Kaeun can finish her sentence, S.Coups holds up his finger in a shushing gesture. She quiets down immediately but she still has shock written all over her. Her eyes tear away from S.Coups and her eyes almost bulges from her head when she finally notices Chan in the pro hero’s arms. A million questions form on his mother’s face as she tries to futilely connect the dots from the doorway.

 

“Hello…?” S.Coups starts but then trails off, realizing he doesn’t know her name.  

 

Chan answers in lieu of his dumbstruck mother, “Lee Kaeun.”

 

“Thank you Chan—Hello Ms. Lee, please don’t freak out too much right now but I’m here to talk to you about your son for a quick moment.”

 

Kaeun just flounders in response and Chan’s never seen his mother this surprised in his life. He probably looked like this too when he saw S.Coups earlier.

 

S.Coups pulls out one of his charismatic smiles, “Can I come in?” Kaeun blinks then a soft blush appears on her cheeks. She nods and pulls the door further open, standing to the side.

 

“U-uh, um, yeah sure, come inside, S.Coups…” she trails off quietly, amazement now showing on her face. Kaeun bows when S.Coups passes by her and she closes the front door gently behind her.

 

Chan points to the living room and S.Coups follows in the direction. S.Coups leaves the bag next to the doorway so it doesn’t stain the rugs.  The tall man ducks underneath the living room’s doorway. He walks over to the blue couch in the middle of the room. Carefully kneeling, S.Coups maneuvers Chan out of his arms and onto the couch, the boy sinks into the couch pillows. S.Coups takes a seat next to him, leaning back with a delighted sigh that gets a giggle from Chan. Kaeun notices the exchange with curiosity as she peers in from the doorway. She steps in the room slowly and S.Coups notices, looking up from Chan to her direction. He shifts so he’s sitting in a more professional manner and smiles at her. It’s a little comical to see the tall pro hero sit on a smaller couch that clearly wasn’t meant for people his size.

 

Kaeun walks over and takes her place next to Chan. The mother-son duo naturally magnetize together, Kaeun wrapping her arms around her son. Chan snuggles closer into her embrace and she rubs his back. She looks up from her administrations, waiting for S.Coups to start.

 

S.Coups runs a gloved hand through his silver hair, “earlier today when Chan here was walking home, two criminals tried to rob your son on Dali Bridge.”

 

Kaeun instantly gasps in fear. She pulls back from Chan who just smiles passively at her. Her hands cup Chan’s cheeks, thumbs brushing over his cheekbones.

 

“Are you okay my child?” She asks with a soft voice. Chan’s heart twists uncomfortably at the sight of his worrying mother. He reaches up and holds his mother’s hands, watching her expression turn softer.

 

“I’m okay now Mom, S.Coups saved me,” Chan explains.

 

Kaeun turns towards S.Coups again, her earlier shock completely melting away to strong maternal gratitude. S.Coups smiles in return.

 

“Yes, your son is fine. He does have some injuries on him but I don’t have any of my medical supplies on me at the moment so I can’t dress his wounds properly.” Kaeun’s face turn dark.  “Nothing too major however, just some bruises on his arms, legs and a sprained ankle.” Kaeun’s face lessens in intensity and S.Coups internally sighs in relief. Protective mothers are always scary to deal with.   

 

“I’ll get my medkit then." S.Coups nods in acknowledgment. Kaeun presses a quick kiss on Chan’s cheek. She removes herself from Chan’s side and walks to the doorway. “Can you watch…" Kaeun trails off as she looks back to the duo. S.Coups had reached out and was pinching Chan’s cheek, cooing quietly at the boy. Chan simply smiles in resignation as he allows the man to continue. She was about to ask S.Coups to watch over Chan out of automatic instinct. However, she didn’t need to worry since the pro hero is already doing a fine job protecting him. With a smile, Kaeun scurries off to find the medical supplies.

 

After S.Coups finishes his cooing session, Chan reaches over to the coffee table. "Wanna watch some T.V?" S.Coups gestures in a ‘eh, why not’ motion which Chan takes for a yes. He grabs the remote and clicks the T.V on.

 

The T.V turns on and a program plays. After some seconds of silence, S.Coups speaks up, "Oh by the way, I’ll fix up your bag."

 

"Huh, how?"

 

"By buying you a new bag and everything inside of it."

 

Chan startles in his seat, whipping his head around. “Y-you don’t have do that, it’s perfectly fine!” He declines with shock. “In fact, I forgot it was still on me but um, here! Your jacket!” With hasty hands, he pushes the jacket onto S.Coups. “And, uh, the bandana too!” The bandana joins the jacket in the pro hero’s lap.

 

“Chan, it’s totally fine, let me buy you your stuff back and also you can keep the bandana. My gift to you,” S.Coups assures as he puts the jacket back on. He takes the red bandana and places it in Chan’s sweaty hands.

 

“B-but!"

 

"You’re fine kiddo, don’t lose your head over this." S.Coups reaches out and ruffles Chan’s hair with a kind smile. Chan stares at him then pouts, crossing his arms and looking back at the T.V.

 

 

 

Kaeun appears a bit later, small red bag in hand and a bag of ice in the other. She sits next to Chan and he rolls up his sleeves for her. She bandages up his arms quickly then moves off the couch, kneeling to check his ankle.

 

A muffled vibrate noise plays from the hero’s pocket. S.Coups hums and checks his phone. His eyes nearly burst out of his head, his face turning into half shock and fear. Chan quirks a confused eyebrow at the reaction. Kaeun finishes up wrapping the bandage around his ankle and turns to the coffee table for the ice, unaware of the pro hero’s reaction.

 

“Oh, I need to go, I can’t stay any longer right now! U-uh, i have some urgent matters to attend…” He trails off with a forced smile. “ _I’llseeyoutwolater ‘kaybye!_ ” S.Coups says quickly, getting off the couch. He speed walks from the living room to the doorway and disappears around the corner.

 

Kaeun looks up in confusion. "Wait but i haven't thanked you properly yet!" She calls out. The ice and bag are left back on the table and Kaeun stands up. Despite his ankle, Chan gets up as well and holds onto his mother for support. Kaeun quickly yet carefully walks to the entrance while Chan half limps, half hops behind her. The front door slams shut with a loud **_slam_ **. The mother-son duo reach the front door. Kaeun grabs the doorknob and pulls the door wide open. The moment she opens the door, a blast of wind hits them both and the faint sound of someone falling accompanies it.

 

Out of nowhere, there’s clouds of steam blocking their view of the entrance. They wave away the steam, coughing as they do so from the unexpected event. The odorless gas enters their house and sounds of **_hissing_ ** fill the air. The duo cringe at the loud hissing coming from outside.

 

“S...S.Coups?” Chan calls out first, hesitantly. Kaeun slides herself in front of Chan, moving closer to the front porch. As the steam begins to clear up, Chan could see something….  There...seems to be a man lying on the ground in front of the porch steps. The man sits up from his position on the ground with a groan and uttering expletives under his breath. When the steam fully dissipates despite Kaeun telling him to stay back, Chan leans around her to observe closer. The man… looks like… S.Coups but at the same time, he doesn’t. The man had black hair and it looks like his eyes are darker in color too. He wore a plain black hoodie and striped sweatpants. The man had a more… empty sense to him, a more sickly aura hangs around him. His cheeks were more hollow, dark eyebags are prominent and his overall body was thinner.

 

The man looks up to the family on the porch and stiffly waves to them. He gives them an awkward smile from the ground.

  


 

 

“Ha...ha, uh, surprise!…It’s me, S.Coups….”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [kazoo noises]
> 
> if u have anything to say, comment down below!

**Author's Note:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ 
> 
> if you have anything to say, leave a comment below! i would greatly appreciate it! also let me know what you'll like to see me possibly write next for this!!! 
> 
> comments will help fuel me :^]
> 
> also im posting this on christmas so this is my present to all u lovely carats out there


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